Hospitality in The Odyssey

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Throughout Homer's The Odyssey, Odysseus the main character in the story is tested with the true meaning of hospitality. In the heroic age, hospitality was viewed as punishment or acceptance of a stranger. While Odysseus longed for his return to home, he faced the two different kinds of hospitality offered within the heroic age. My theory is that Odysseus was provided with good hospitality when he would enter a town that allowed him to eat at their table, bathed within their baths, and sleep within their homes. The townspeople and their king often provided superior hospitality for strangers without questioning them first. It's thought that maybe the wonderful hospitality was provided in return of viewing the stranger as a communicator to the outside world. The townspeople would then not have to send their own people out to determine the outside gossip. Another possible reason for good hospitality is the thought of the stranger being a god or goddess testing the morality of the townspeople. On the other hand, Odysseus was also faced with the evil, hostile hospitality prov...

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